about 1/3 of the group are middle and high school teachers who want to brush up on their pedagogy skills, ask questions on posture, and get the nitty gritty on using our oversized bows in a healthy, ergonomic way.
Of the other 2/3, who are primarily players, we have several local professional players coming. Almost all of the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and the Hochstein Youth Orchestra bass section players will be here. Quite a few upstate college bass students are joining us - some from Buffalo! And a few students from community orchestras and the New Horizons program at Eastman will be with us too.
I absolutely love the diversity of this group! One of the pro's who is joining us said, "I just love the vibe at these bass events!" I know what he means - we're not a competitive group, people love hanging out and talking shop with each other, and given the nice spread of ages and experiences, the conversations will be quite interesting and varied as well.
For those of you who haven't been to a bass workshop, or the bass convention when it was here last year, this isn't about doing things one way. It's about sharing our experience, and everyone involved knows that becoming a better musician means a lifetime of learning and refining. We're all after something slightly different when we play, and we have a lot to learn from each other.
Which brings me to the guest faculty for this year - all people I've known a long time, all good spirits and great players and teachers. These are people who lift up their students and help them become their own kind of player. They build confidence in their students, and equip them with great technique so they can go out and create their own sound. I've know Jeff Campbell since we were both at Eastman together a gazillion years ago, and even shared a practice room with him. He's an incredible musician, and always looking at how music fits together (theory, ensemble, sound, rhythm) and thinking and experimenting with how he wants to sound, what he wants to write. He's also been a member of the RPO for a long time now and brings so much to our bass section.
Nicholas Walker has been bowling me over with his compositions for years now. I feel like I"ve known him so long, I can't even remember when we first met. He asked me and Colin Corner to come work with his students at Ithaca College a few years ago, and I was so impressed at how they all have their own musical voice and style. All of that backed up with solid technique. He's growing a garden not of one kind of plant, but a big variety of beautiful flowers, with their own personalities. He brings lots of background in composition, contemporary performance, Baroque performance, and the standard repertoire too. Nicholas thinks a lot about ergonomics and developed the angled end pin that helps keep the bass more balanced when you stand. He'll also share his insights about practicing and how to develop a plan that makes it not a "chore" to do every day.
Last but no where near the least is our Alexander Technique teacher, Katie Fittipaldi. I met Katie through her husband, Mike, who is a bass player here in Rochester. Mike subs with the RPO and is a great guy to sit with on stage. Calm and competent. I started studying with Katie a few years ago after I had developed tendonitis in both elbows and was sidelined from playing for several months. It seemed to me it was a golden opportunity to examine everything about my playing and rethink what I had been doing. I had taken a few lessons during my undergrad days, and was familiar in a very general way with Alexander Technique, but Katie helped to demystify so much of it, and showed me how to use it in everyday life. We spent a full school year working together and I discovered many ways in which I could use my body more efficiently, and more naturally. She's also a cellist, so translating her work to ours was a breeze.
If you're not signed up yet to join us, it's not too late! The flyer is posted at the Nazareth website here, or you can do the simple online form at www.bassretreat.com
